Madam Speaker, I was going to ask the member if her speech was written by herself or by the department on her behalf, but I noticed that she was speaking extemporaneously at the end so I may give her the benefit of the doubt.
I have a question for her. She said she wanted to strengthen the Canada Health Act. The Supreme Court pronounced on this issue just the other day, saying that when it comes to the Canada Health Act and providing health care for Canadians, providing health care for Canadians takes precedence. But it seems to me that the member is totally wrapped up and consumed by the Liberal Party policy that the Canada Health Act has to be preserved forever, carved in stone, and totally disregards the fact that tens of thousands of Canadians are waiting for health care.
There are no doctors. We find that some towns are losing all their medical staff. The hospitals have to shut down. Remote areas have no access to health care. Yet the Liberals seem to think that protecting the Canada Health Act is far more important than protecting the health of Canadians.
In the United Kingdom, where public health care originated after the war, there is now a very significant portion of private health care as well as public health care. There are lessons to be learned about how the United Kingdom can deliver more health care and better health care and do it for less cost than in Canada.
Therefore, I would like to ask the member, does she think it is more important to protect the act or the health of Canadians? Is she prepared to open her mind and examine possibilities to improve the situation here in Canada?